Submitted by PreposterisG t3_10lsia2 in washingtondc
Mostly just venting here because I am not sure much can be done, but I have been increasingly bothered by off leash dogs destroying the grass at Meridian Hill Park. For the record, I am the owner of a large dog that walks in the park everyday but doesn't go off leash. Of course I wish she had a large open place to run minutes from my home, but I understand that I made the decisions to live where I do with the dog that I have.
It jumped out to me this morning on my usual walk for two reasons. First, the ground is very soggy which forced the dog owners to stand further down than usual because the upper half of the field is nothing but mud. And second, this is the exact type of day where they should stay off the field because so much damage happens when the ground is soft.
I wish the owners cared or it occurred to them that letting their dogs run on days like this is what destroyed the field and made them stand elsewhere in the first place. The irony, at least to me, is perfectly captured by the very top of the field where they put sod down after a temporary construction trailer was moved. So you have 20 feet of pristine grass, currently protected by orange temporary fencing, juxtaposed with a completely destroyed field on the other side of the barrier.
I wanted to vent and see if others are bothered like I am. It makes me sad thinking that the space won't be as accommodating for hanging out when the weather starts to get nicer. I imagine this is happening at many parks and green spaces throughout the city. Has anyone successfully been able to do anything about this? I kind of suspect National Park Services doesn't really care and I am not going to try to convince folks for obvious reasons.